WHERE ARE WE TODAY?
In today’s “digital age,” the field of science and technology have exploded, impacting every corner of academia, industry, and commerce. With the development of voice assistive technology, such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Home, technology is revolutionizing the way we live, move, and interact with each other. The powerful combination between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the expanding field of User Experience (UX) opens new possibilities for future inventions. However, it also increases competition within the technology market.
Why was this information meaningful?
- Provided a brief summary of where the tech field is today
- Provided insight into AI technology and UX methodologies for future opportunities
Brand voice has been a crucial asset for brand development. It is crucial for the personality and tone of a business. It is a defining element from the public perception and often determines a companies trust, security, professionalism, and reliability. Such can become a boundary when growing to a global scale and having to communicate your missions and values to an international marketplace. With the relatively recent advent, voice technology has grown and dominated the 21st-century marketplace. Just as social media eliminated barriers between brands and consumers, people believe that voice recognition technology can actually bring people closer to their favorite brands.
Why was this information meaningful?
- Understand the power of voice UI for a business within an international marketplace
- Understand how a business within an international can increase their market by adopting voice UI
WHAT ARE THE LIMITATIONS?
Today’s interactive technology is relying more and more on voice interfaces, such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Home (etc). Voice interfaces have improved peoples lives by being able to directly ask questions without having to touch or go through several steps to find answers. However, voice devices are still limited and not as inclusive as we have hoped. Voice interfaces that don’t have a screen, display or tactile interface. While there is an infinitive of tech-product for those who do not recognize with having special needs, artificial intelligence cannot be accessed and used by all.
Why was this information meaningful?
- Understand the limitations of voice interfaces
WHAT ARE OTHERS DOING?
Today, Gramer is a senior UX designer working for Amazon’s Consumer Payments team. He has also worked on the launch of the AmazonPwD (People with Disabilities) affinity group, which goal is to foster diversity and inclusion among all people. During the program he redesigned Amazons famous logo substituting the letters with illustrations of ASL letters. Currently, Amazon is developing a new device: AWS DeepLens. In the future, Lamda will offer a platform which will allow designers to build skills in which Alexa can understanding the ASL alphabet.
Why was this information meaningful?
- Understand what global companies are investing on with the purpose of expanding their market for people with disabilities
- Insight on Amazons AWS DeepLens
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 360 million people worldwide with a disabling hearing loss. Within that total number, 32 million are children that have lost their hearing due to genetic causes, complications at birth, or certain infectious diseases. Such prevents many young kids to communicate with others easily. There is limited access to service and exclusion from communication can have a significant impact on everyday life, causing feelings of loneliness, isolation, and frustration. Some companies have invested in advancing the field of technology to improve the quality of life for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- MotionSavvy UNI: built the world's first two-way communication software for the deaf by translating American Sign Language (ASL) into speech, and speech into text through a special camera to track the location of both hands and all ten fingers.
- Solar Ear: hearing loss for people who live in low- to- middle-income countries is a problem because of the high costs of hearing aids and batteries. Solar Ear built an affordable, low cost, solar-powered hearing aid battery that costs that can last up to 2-3 years.
- ISEEWHATYOUSAY: a device that has the ability to captures spoken language and converts it into text that can be sent to a remote user’s device.
Ava is a new communication device that aims to bring deaf and hard-of-hearing people back into group conversations with their threaded speech-to-text application that gives people with hearing issues an easy way to stay on top of a conversation. The purpose of Ava is to help connect family, friends, and coworkers.
Why was this information meaningful?
- Understand what other companies have done to improve accessibility in the technology field
- Undersadtd what has been already done and where should we go next
- Understand the current marketplace and how to distinguish my project
WHAT ARE SOME EVERYDAY PROBLEMS?
To start I wanted to better understand some of the difficulties someone hard of hearing might experience. Therefore, I challenged my self to personally experience what it is like to navigate the world around me without the ability of hearing. My goal was to identify some problems and difficulties as well as creating empathy. For a few hours, I put myself in my user's shoes and tried to experience life as if I was deaf. The experience taught me many things that I would have never learned otherwise. I was shocked in realizing how much information is perceived by our hearing, which we all often take for granted; such as waking up in the morning, communicating with peers at school and work, or simply relaxing by going to watch a movie at the cinema.
Why was this information meaningful?
- created an empathy experience to truly understand what our current everyday problems that deaf or hard of hearing people have to go through every day
WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?
About two to four people, out of a total of 1,000, within the United States identify themselves as "functionally deaf;" meaning that they are Deaf or hard of hearing. Furthermore, research calculates an estimate of one person out of every 1,000 becomes will lose their hearing before the age of 18. Between nine to 22 people, out of every 1,000, have a severe hearing impairment or are deaf (half of these reported their hearing loss after 64 years of age).
In June 2008, a Current Population Survey (CPS) took place to identify the number of people with a disability in the civilian noninstitutional population starting from the age of 16 and older. Calculations from February 5, 2010, showcase information on the unemployment status of persons by disability status was 16.01%; which is double the number of people with no disability (8.8%).
Table A-6. Employment status of the civilian population by sex, age, and disability status, not seasonally adjusted.
Blanchfield BB, Feldman JJ, Dunbar JL, Gardner EN. The severely to profoundly hearing-impaired population in the United States: Prevalence estimates and demographics. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology 2001;12:183-189.
Why was this information meaningful?
- have quantitative data that supports where the problem stands
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORKPLACE?
The American with Disability Act gives deaf individuals legal protection against discriminatory hiring practices. According to this section of the ADA, "an employer may not use ones’ deafness as a basis for not hiring, not advancing, or terminating employment status." Unfortunately, segregation between the hearing and the deaf or hard of hearing within the workplace still exist. Accommodations for the deaf or hard of hearing within the workplace are rarely meet due to high costs and the inconvenient process.
Why was this information meaningful?
- understanding of the lawn that protects deaf individuals within the hiring process
- insight into the reality of the workplace
- understand common "fears" that hearing people have when having to hire a deaf or hard of hearing individual
WHAT'S IN THE FUTURE?
Hearing aids and cochlear implants have revolutionalized the life of those who are deaf or hard of hearing by helping them speak or read lips rather than signing. But as the field of technology quickly advances, deaf people can soon have access to having cochlear implants. The implants are installed and will not be visible to observers. The loss of that visual cue might be able to blur the line between the oral deaf and the hearing.
Why was this information meaningful?
- provided insight at where technology is going to blur the lines between deaf and hearing
- understand how cochlear implants can change interactions between people
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